Natural Stone Surface Finish Guide

Use the guide below to select the ideal stone finish for your project. Each finish is classified by surface appearance, maintenance requirements, and DIN slip safety ratings to help ensure correct selection for countertops, floors, stairs, bathrooms, and outdoor areas.

Stone Surface Finish Comparison

Finish	Looks	Slip Resistance & DIN Rating	Maintenance	Best Use
Polished	Mirror-gloss, shiny	R9 - Low	Very Easy	Counters, walls (not recommended for wet floors)
Lapatura (Semi-Polished)	Light shine with texture	R9-R10 - Medium	Easy	Walls, indoor stairs (dry areas only)
Honed	Matte smooth	R10 - Medium	Moderate	Indoor floors, bathrooms, countertops
Leathered	Soft textured surface	R10-R11 - Medium-High	Easy	Kitchen islands, feature areas, indoor stairs
Brushed	Satin texture	R11 - Medium-High	Easy	Flooring, wall cladding
Sand Blasted	Fine matte with grip	R11-R12 - High	Easy	Walkways, patios
Shot Blasted	Uniform textured grip	R11-R12 - High	Easy	Pool decks, external flooring
Flamed	Rough textured grip	R12 - High	Easy	Outdoor paving, driveways
Bush Hammered	Heavy textured surface	R13 - Very High	Easy	Steps, ramps, public safety zones

Slip Resistance Ratings — DIN 51130

Stone finishes are tested and classified according to the DIN 51130 standard. Ratings range from R9 (lower slip resistance for dry areas) to R13 (very high slip resistance suitable for wet, exterior, or safety-critical zones).

Higher DIN ratings indicate greater surface grip under standardized test conditions. Selection of finish should match both location exposure (dry / wet / outdoor) and pedestrian traffic requirements.